Four Police Officers Hospitalized In Kambia As Angry Youths Stone Them To Stupor

A total of eight (8) people including four civilians with bullet wounds and four police officers with minor stone wounds were reported at the Kambia Government hospital whiles police arrested 18 striking youths for allegedly burning down their post in Bamoi.

It could be recalled that on Tuesday 26th January, the Kambia district Security Committee agreed in a meeting to close the Bamoi International market as a means of controlling the inflow of locals to the district and also track down suspected missing quarantined persons.

The action which was however not communicated earlier to the local traders who travel from across the country to get their products on the market for sale on a weekly basis did not go down well with traders and their children especially the youth; events quickly went out of control., police sources say.

According to the Kambia Government Hospital record, seven (7) cases, all men from Bamoi were admitted of which two were seriously injured, one of whom had his left ear injured with a foreign body, and the other one also had injury on his left leg close to his ankle with foreign body. The third patient after examination was noticed to have his left shoulder with entry and exit wound which means that the bullet got in and out of his shoulder with no damaged to his tissues, bone or nerves; based on that he was admitted whiles the two were referred to Connaught Hospital because the hospital had no better facilities to perform X-ray.

The other four police officers were treated for minor stone wounds at the out-patient and discharged while a secondary school student was also treated for entry and exit at the out-patient was asked to go home.

According to Foday Kamara, a JSS Three pupil of Movement of Faith Secondary School in Bamoi, presently admitted at the Kambia Government hospital where he is responding to treatment for an entry and exit wound told Awoko Newspaper in an exclusive interview that he was coming from his house to check on rumours that their BECE results were out.

Foday F. Kamara said on arrival at the market place he saw people running helter skelter. He said to greatest dismay he felt something warm on his left shoulder and discovered it was blood flowing down his arm. He said as he was not aware of what was happening to him, he ran to the crowd and showed his hand to a elderly man who told him he had suffered from gunshot wound. He said it was the man that tied his shoulder and took him to the hospital for treatment.

At the police station it was noticed that the Local Unit Commander (LUC) had charged to court he 18 arrested youths from Bamoi for alleged riotous conduct, public disorder and the burning of the police post which sparked off another tension. At the Magistrate court after the matter was mentioned and the charges read out in the court t, unusual phone calls and movements by the LUC caused a stand down of the matter allegedly as a result of calls from the Inspector General of Police ordering the LUC to drop the matter.

At the end of the day the 18 youths were released on a bail of five million Leones (Le 5,000,000) each with one surety who must reside in Kambia.